SDCC2018 | Titans Trailer

So … DC dropped the trailer for their Titans web series at San Diego Comic Con, and here I am about to give my thoughts on it, so beware of opinions.

First, let's give a little history of Titans, or to give them there original title, the Teen Titans. They were one of the original sidekick teams, original featuring the likes of Robin, Wondergirl, and Kid Flash; although, the most popular version is the one from the 1980s, by Marv Wolfman and George Perez. This is the version that was made famous by the cartoon series in the 2000s, comprising of Robin, Raven, Cyborg Beast Boy, and Starfire.

This is the version that this series seems to be based on, except that they switch out Cyborg for Hawk and dove.

So how does it look?

Well, the trailer caught my attention, but for all the wrong reasons.

Copyright © DC Comics

Firstly, in terms of aesthetics, it's so dark that I personally found it to be off-putting. The heavy use of dark colours creates a very heavy, oppressive atmosphere, and gives the impression that this is about a super-powered gang, rather than a groups of superheroes working to bring justice to the world.

Note, I do not object to DC doing a grittier version of the team, but I feel like they've overshot the mark.

This is only furthered by the impressions given by the characters.

For example, I find this version of Robin a little confusing. I could have sworn that this was supposed to by Dick Grayson, the first Robin. However, that Robin is more often portrayed as a sort of charming rogue, cracking jokes and generally working to lighten the atmosphere, yet still capable of being serious when the chips are down. Whilst he has had his falling outs with Batman, he's not usually this angsty.

This Robin felt more like Dick's immediate successor as Robin, Jason Todd. In more recent years Jason has provided a strong contrast with Dick, being a generally angry, more violent Robin, who has shown to be far more willing to kill.

Now if this Robin is Jason Todd then that's fine, but if its Dick Grayson … then that's a massive (and unnecessary) departure from his standard characterisation.

A bigger problem is the portrayal of dove. At one point in the trailer Dove slices through a person's tendons, this is a problem because Dove is a pacifist. This isn't just a tertiary characteristic, it is the central aspect of the character, around which everything else is built; if you remove that you have a totally different character. It really feels like they wrote a different character, and then just tried to slap the Dove aesthetic over the top.

In fact, the sheer amount of unnecessary violence made this feel less like a film about superheroes, and more like a film about a pack of violent thugs. Apart from the aforementioned Dove incident, there is also a shot of Robin stamping on a guys neck after he's already been beaten, and Starfire burning a guy alive. The latter is even more odd when one considers that Starfire's abilities have always been energy-based, rather than fire based.

I'm not asking for the DC shows to be more like Marvel, I'm perfectly fine with DC doing a more

Copyright © DC Comics

mature, serious version of superhero stories. However, it currently feels like someone in the company has a very juvenile view of what makes something mature and serious, because this feels very much like a child's version of what constitutes adult content. Judging from this trailer this show feels a lot like the comicbook movies that followed in Blade's wake in the early 2000s, like Daredevil or Electra. A lot of flash and “style”, but not much in the way of depth and actual substance.

As to the costumes, it feels like they ran out of budget after Hawk, Dove, and Robin, as those costumes were clearly much more expensive than all the others combined. Perhaps we've only seen the others in their civilian clothes so far, and they'll gain actual costumes later? I certainly hope so.

One thing that did perk my interest however, is that they're clearly going into depth with Raven's backstory, which has always been one of the better story arcs in every iteration. Although, it is a little eyebrow-raising that they seem to be delving into it in the first season, rather that building up to it over time; I hope they know what they're doing.

But who knows, maybe the series will completely blow me away and change my opinion when it comes out, but right now I wouldn't put money on it.

Anyway, what are your opinions?  Did you like it, and if so why?  Or are you like me, and the trailer failed to sell you on the show?

Whatever the case...


Until next time,


PhoenixAct.